Precious Memories
by Inky8Fingers
Summary: A collection of drabbles based around Tamora Pierce's characters, starting with a fluffy Kel and Neal friendship. Genres cover everything from angst, romance and friendship to death, adventure and humour. Please R&R!


I'm a dead set Dom/Kel shipper, but i've always utterly adored the siblingly relationship between Kel and Neal, so here are a few moments from the books that have sparked my imagination. In no particular order;

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**Moments**

_"What's the matter, love?Neal asked, pouring a mug of tea for Kel. He watched her rub her temples for a moment, then added drops from a vial he carried in a pouch on his belt. "Did they wear you out with their exuberant welcome?" - Lady Knight (page 195)_

Their voices seemed to tear at her head, gouging into her head and making that deep, throbbing ache burrow it's way further and further into the soft, delicate tissue of her brain and then expanding. Expanding on until Kel thinks her whole head is just going to explode with the building pressure. They'd been going at her all day; their appeared to be a thief in their midsts, and even she had felt the effects of his or hers greed. She'd lost the ring Cleon had bought her one summer evening on the progress what seemed to be decades ago, she may not feel the longing she once had for her big red-headed friend, but it was a memory, one that she'd treasured. And so refugee upon refugee came to her with their angry words, nagging away at how the culprit had to be found to find their grandfather's medallion, or the dagger passed through the generations of their family and on and on the list went. She was upset; she just wanted her memory back, and to get away from them, to the quiet of her room back in the palace. But she had her duty to each and every one of them, so she wouldn't stray.

All the same, as Idrius Valestone stormed up to her, shoving people out of his way along Haven's packed earth pathways, she felt something inside her snap. The pressure inside her head burst free of his cage and as the noisy man opened his mouth to yabber at her, his mouth inches from her face words seemed to slip unnoticed from her tight lips. The spit of Idrius' angry words stopped pattering against the skin of her cheek as everyone fell silent. She hadn't meant to shout at him, it had just built up...

"Shut up, Valestone, or i'll shut you up."

The dangerous words seemed to clang around her skull, ripping apart her carefully constructed calm. Kel didn't know what to say...

Her words had definitely had the desired effect, but for all her abused ears could now hear the soft pattering of the chickens wandering unaffected around their feet, she didn't feel any better. So she did the only thing left to do; Run. She turned on her heel and stormed off, no particular destination in mind, just anywhere she didn't have to feel the astonished stares on her or see their gaping mouths. She'd gone to far, snapped to suddenly, and she would surely feel the lash of it in the hours to follow; Idrius would never let such an act go without his fair share of complaining. His letters may even reach Lord Wyldon himself this time.

The toes of Kel's sensible leather boots struck something solid and she looked up in surprise to find herself looking in through the doorway of the infirmary, her feet pressed against stone step. Inside she could see Neal perched on the edge of one of the standard issue ward beds, a small girls hand clasped between his big callused palms. There was a soft, familiar green glow surrounding those comforting hands as he smiled and talked with his patient, a rich, warm tenor. She was too far away to make out the words he said, but the distant murmurs caught her well trained ears and drew her in. She didn't even notice as first one foot and then the other lifted over the step and onto the plained wooden floorboards. Slowly and deliberately she made her way across the room and carefully lowered herself onto an empty bed halfway from the door to her friend and listened.

The two talked of weapons training and the new game the children had developed of winding up Idrius until he turned purple and made spluttering noises. They liked that part, the little girl confided in the handsome young man, her little green eyes aglow with innocent mischief. A small smile tugged at the corners of Kel's full lips as their laughter filled the room, and like magic the pain behind her eyes seemed to falter, and fade.

Carefully, so as not to alert the pair to her presence, she slipped her stockinged feet from their leather coats and lifted them up onto the bed, tucking them under her. She sat for what seemed like hours, just listening to them gossiping, Neal's healing voice soothing her worried brow, making her relax. Before she knew it, she'd drifted of to sleep, falling softly onto the pillow and closing her eyes. The soft sunlight that shone threw the small window opposite the bed she occupied warmed her cheek, like a comforting hand.

She dreamed of her family. Her mother, father, brothers and sisters. Of her nieces and nephews and uncles and aunts. She dreamed of her friends and loved ones. Of Dom, the one person she knew she wanted spend the rest of her hopefully long life with. They were all there, smiling and laughing. Even Connal, the brother she'd never quite forgiven but never truly forsaken. As she slept, years seemed to melt off her face, the frown lines across her tanned brow vanishing, along with the creases forming at the corners of her eyes. She looked so vulnerable, and human...

A firm, warm hand gently lifted her shoulder, another hand sliding under her neck to support her head as someone slipped between her and the bed, replacing her pillow. The muscled woman cracked an eye and stared up into the big, kind eyes of her first and best friend as he smiled down at her. Out of instinct she snuggled her head deeper into his lap as one of her long fingered hands came up to lay against his cushiony thigh. One of his threaded its way into her hair as she felt the tell-tale tingle of magic seep through her skin and into her bones, banishing the last dregs of hidden pain. He gently finger combed her tangled and mattered hair as they sat in silence, neither seeing the need to fill the air with unnecessary chatter.

Eventually, the tall youth opened his lips and whispered, sympathetically; "Bad day, sweetheart?" There was something so understanding in his tone as Kel smiled and rolled over slightly to look up at his over her shoulder. "Not any more."

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I hope you liked it ^^

Review and tell me if you want me to do anymore, because i've got loads of favourite moments for the different characters that i'd just love to elaborate on XD.

Thank you,

R&R


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